|
HISTORY OF SPAIN
Spain is a country that was greatly influenced by other cultures as it has
been settled for millennia. The famous caves at Altamira for example contain
spectacular paintings dating from about 15,000 to 25,000 years ago and are one
of Europe's most impressive Palaeolithic cultural sites. The first identifiable
people of the Iberian Peninsula are Europe's oldest surviving group, the
Basques.
 The first settlements on the Peninsula began in the year 1100 BC
when Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians entered the Iberian Peninsula. In
the South settled the Iberians and in the north and the west the Celts. Both
cultures were mixed in the middle and are called the Celt-Iberians.
In the second century BC the Romans began to settle in Spain and they stayed
for seven centuries. In this period the most important Spanish borders to other
European Countries were defined and it served also as a basis for the present
Spanish language, religion and laws.
In the fifth century BC the Visigoths arrived in Spain and in 711, North
African Moors swept into Andalusia and expelled the Visigoths up to the
Cantabrian Mountains in the North. In mid-8th-century, the Muslims made Cordoba
the capital of the flourishing Andalusian State. The Arab presence in Spain
lasted for eight centuries and left an indelible mark on the Spanish cultural
heritage. When you are visiting Spain, above all Andalusia, you can admire the
beautiful monuments build under the Arabic influence.
 After
a long period of peaceful coexistence between Jews, Christians and Muslims, the
small Christian strongholds in the North of Spain started the Reconquest in
order to expel the Moors that ended with the capture of Granada in 1492 under
the Catholic Monarchs Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. On October
12 of the same year and with the encouragement of the King and Queen of Spain,
Columbus discovered the New Continent - America. This day is celebrated in
Spain as its National Holiday what could be interesting to consider when you
are planning your Spain holidays or your long stay in Spain.
In the 16th century, Spain developed to the most important and powerful nation
in Europe but due to a series of long wars and revolts including the defeat of
the "Invincible Armada" in 1588 the Spanish power in Europe began to decline
steadily.
With the war of Succession to the Spanish Crown between 1701 and 1714 the
dynasty of the Habsburgs came to an end and was followed by the Bourbons,
leading to an occupation by France during the Napoleonic era in the early 19th
century.
A number of armed conflicts and revolts marked the 19th century. There were
three wars dealing with the question of succession to the Spanish Crown, the
short ousting of the Spanish monarchy related to the establishment of the First
Republic in 1873 and 1874, and the Spanish-American War in 1898, in which Spain
lost his last overseas empires, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, to the
United States.
 Would you also like to know about...
|
